The Girl With Green Hair
by SoundGeare
Summary: After Link leaves on his journey, Saria must take the Great Deku Tree's place as protector of the kokiri. Strange and dangerous things have begun to happen. How can she protect her friends when she is just a child like they are? Set several years after Link's departure. Coincidentally, the name is the same as ZeldaRubix's story, but they have nothing do do with each other.
1. One Day

Hi everyone. Thanks for coming here. It means so much to me that you read my stories. Just as a bit of warning this story is probably darker than other Saria stories and I portray Saria as more mature. I hope you like it though.

* * *

All those years ago he had left. He had promised he would come back but he never had. She could still remember the night on the bridge. Or maybe the sun was out, all Saria could remember was feeling a deep darkness descend over the two of them. Somehow, somewhere deep within, she knew that she would see him again, and she had. But just once, and only briefly.

It had been a few weeks since Link left the forest, and Saria had found that life among the kokiri was boring without her friend. This was the deepest discomfort she had been able to discern when she was young. Technically, she was still young. And she always would be. But just because her body never grew, that didn't mean her mind was attached to perpetual naivety.

Some days, Saria thought that naivety might have been a blessing, but it was a blessing she was refused. Because since the Deku tree had died at the hands of some terrible illness, she had become a sort of replacement for the tree. More of a steward than a full replacement, though. She could feel in the back of her mind that her responsibility was only temporary, and that someday, someone or something would come to relieve her of her task.

But until then she was both blessed and cursed with a heightened awareness of the world around her. Sometimes it allowed her to see the true beauty of things. Things that went unnoticed by the other kokiri, such as the suns final rays burning across the surface of a pond, or the majesty of the seemingly endless forest around them. But most of the time, her eyes were filled with images of darkness and decay. Images of the forest dying around them, and a terrible prediction that soon the peace of the kokiri would be interrupted by something horrific. She didn't know what it would be, or when. All she knew was that it would happen someday, someday soon.

She sighed.

It would have been easier if Link had been here with her. Although she had never noticed it to this degree, he had always seemed more observant of the world around them. Maybe that was what had set them apart from the rest of the kokiri. They could both tell that something was wrong beyond the children's haven. Link had left, attempting to fix it somehow. Saria was left to defend the kokiri from the impending darkness.

Saria was sitting in her house, looking out the window at the sunset. At least there were a few things in this world worth witnessing. It wasn't much, but the burnished beauty of the setting sun seemed to cast away some of her apprehension. But not much. She could still feel a dark cloud hanging over her and all of the kokiri. But it was her duty to stand between the darkness and the kokiri.

How long had it been since she had felt like a kid? Years. Probably around the time Link left, and that was years ago. She was ten at the time, and soon she would be fifteen. Not physically, physically she was still around eight years old and probably always would be. But in her head she could feel the years that had passed. Slipped through her fingers without leaving so much as a mark to remember them by. But that was the burden of all kokiri, but really only her. Because none of the other kokiri knew how to or could bear the weight of any sizable burden.

And that was why Saria couldn't sleep. Because the burden they couldn't carry had fallen to her. All of their burdens were resting on her shoulders. Saria wasn't too weak to hold them up yet. Yet.

But after only five years of guiding the kokiri, Saria could feel the stress taking its toll. And no matter what happened, she knew that someday the weight would break her, possibly leaving room for a new protector, or possibly leaving the kokiri utterly defenseless. And that scared Saria the most. What would happen to the kokiri if they were left without a protector of some sort?

Squeezing her eyes shut, Saria shook her head slowly. That wasn't going to happen. Because she would be strong and there was no way she would leave them alone. Saria would do what she needed to in order to keep them safe.

The thought of Link crossed her mind again. She wondered what had happened to him. Where he had gone after their last meeting. Wishing she had paid attention when he explained his quest to her, Saria tried to drop the subject from her mind. But her friend would not leave her thoughts. His face floated across her vision and she smiled. Two types of smiles all at once. The first was the type of smile reserved for a very close friend. Someone you can tell anything to. Someone who would keep your secret and who would expect you to keep theirs in return. The second type of smile was one of fear. Because the image of Link was not simply a daydream, but a seemingly physical entity which flickered across her vision.

She knew that she really should get some sleep, but for the past few days, the ominous clouds had seemed to be growing and growing. Moving perpetually nearer to the home of the kokiri. And no matter how hard she tried, sleep continued to evade her. Her vision was blurry and her eyes felt grainy. Each movement felt forced and disconnected, as if she was executing a puppet show, but the puppet was her own body.

Saria took the glass of water that was resting on the table. She took a sip, and her senses cleared a little.

Saria sighed.

The past few nights had all been the same, sitting in this same chair until late at night. Thinking the same thoughts until her mind was numb. Finally after many hours of exhausted pondering she would retire to bed. But it felt different this night, because this night was supposed to be special. Every year, this day had been something special. But tonight it was just her. Just her and her own thoughts.

A twitch of a smile crossed her lips. Raising the cup in a mock toast, Saria said, "Happy birthday…" She downed the water then headed over to her bed. Quickly throwing a blanket over herself, Saria thought, "Maybe Link will come back tomorrow. Maybe the dark cloud will pass and I'll finally be done with all this grown-up stuff."

Sighing again, Saria closed her eyes and drifted off into a deep sleep.


	2. Today

Hi everyone I'm back with another chapter. Before I say anything else, MadSkillz has messaged me and withdrawn the accusation of me copying another story. Anyway, now that that's been said, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I do plan to have an actually plot, not just a string of meaningless emergencies. This will lead to something I swear. Just wait, and while you're waiting you might as well review:)

* * *

Saria opened her eyes sluggishly. Around her the room was still. She sat up in her bed, slowly working up the courage to leave the warm blankets. Steeling herself with a deep breath, Saria did the deed and stood in the center of the chilly room.

Hoping to trap some warm air inside the hut, Saria started to close the single window mounted in the wall. But as she stepped toward it, a strange smell was wafted into her nostrils. It was thick and heavy, reminding her of the winter nights when she lit the small fireplace in her hut. It made her think of roasting chestnuts over a popping campfire.

Fire…

Frantically, Saria turned and ran out the door. That was the smell of smoke, and if she listened hard enough, Saria could hear the roar of a fire in the distance.

Half of her hoped that it was just a campfire, but Saria knew better than that. The kokiri didn't start campfires first thing in the morning. Most of them didn't even know how to start a fire at all. Besides Link and herself, Mido was the only one who knew how to light a fire.

As Saria left the hut, she saw what she had been dreading. One of the children's huts was alight. Wisps of flame were visible through the doorway and the building itself was sprouting fire in several places.

Luckily the house was directly beside the pond. As Saria looked closer, she saw that Mido was running to and from the pond, cupping water in his hands and tossing it into the inferno.

Sighing, Saria ran over to him. Surprised by her appearance, Mido said, "Oh Saria! You've gotta help me. Fado's house is on fire!"

She grabbed him by the shoulders, stopping him and causing the miniscule amount of water in his hands to drop to the floor. "Go get help, and I'll go get some buckets. Where's Fado? Is she okay?"

At the mention of her name, Mido's face turned pale. "She- Saria! She's still inside!"

Saria's panic grew to a new level. "She's what! Okay, um, new plan. You get help AND buckets. I'll go help Fado.

Mido nodded in agreement, proceeding to run off toward the nearest house.

Staring into the smoldering doorway, Saria took a deep breath, readying herself. She began to count down from three in her head. As much as she wanted to postpone it, or to forgo it, she needed to go in and get Fado.

Three

Even from where she stood, Saria could feel the heat hitting her in waves. It wasn't hard to imagine what it would be like when she was inside. Boiling, hard to breath, terrifying. But Fado was inside and Saria couldn't just abandon her out of fear.

Two

Taking another deep breath, Saria closed her eyes tightly, less to protect them from the heat, and more to block out the image of the burning house. As if it would just go away if she didn't look at it. But that didn't work for her anymore. Because it had become her job to protect the kokiri. And Fado was in danger.

One

Saria bolted into the burning house.

* * *

Boiling

Hard to breath

Terrifying

Just as Saria had predicted. But this wasn't the time to think, because whatever she did in the next few seconds might be the difference between saving Fado's life or dying with the girl.

It hadn't taken long to find Fado. As soon as Saria stepped into the blistering room, she saw Fado curled up underneath her bed. Saria had tried to call out to her, but the words stuck in her throat.

As she navigated through the room, Saria carefully avoided small heaps of smoldering debris that must have been furniture just hours before. Saria could feel sweat dripping down her arms and forehead. The heat was getting to be unbearable.

As she neared Fado, Saria called out her name, quietly at first, but then as a shout. But neither exclamation was able to draw the girl's attention. She was just staring off into the distance, not even seeming to notice the flames.

Grabbing Fado by the shoulders, Saria tried to shake her, but it was to no avail. She was still unresponsive.

Saria drew a deep breath, and started coughing from the smoke. After the coughing had subsided and Saria could breathe again, she grabbed Fado by the wrist and pulled her out from underneath the bed. With a grunt of effort, Saria hoisted Fado onto her shoulders.

But when Saria tried to leave the way she had entered, something fell across her path and bursting into a brand new inferno. And if it wasn't bad enough that they were trapped, it seemed that the air was filling with smoke, threatening to smother the pair of them before the flames could claim them.

There was only one other way out, a window on the second floor could let them jump to safety. Saria decided to go for the chance, and made a break for the stairs. Before anything could trap her, Saria had reached the stairs and had begun to ascend.

So far so good.

When she reached the second floor, the scenario was completely different. Few fires were visible. Few things were visible at all, most of them being obscured by the thick cloud of black smoke.

Saria decided to run through it. She was already feeling the smoke tear at her lungs, and a violent pounding was beginning inside her head.

She took a step, and it all seemed fine. The second step carried her into the dark cloud, but as long as she kept a straight line, they would be free soon.

The third step brought disaster.

No sooner than she set her foot down, the floorboards gave way beneath her and left one of her legs dangling out into the first floor room. Letting go of Fado with one hand, Saria tried desperately to free her leg. By the time she had extricate herself from the hole in the floor, Saria could feel a few blisters forming, along with many splinters from the floorboards themselves.

Continuing on, Saria moved quickly but was careful with her footing. Each step brought an ominous creak from the floor, but it held her weight up. Soon they had reached the window. The glass that had once filled it was gone. Probably laying in shards somewhere.

Leaning her head out into the cool air outside, Saria shouted to the kokiri assembled below, "We're up here! Catch Fado I'm going to throw her down!"

Saria wasn't sure if they heard her. At least one of them had looked her way, probably. But even if nobody caught them, broken bones were nothing compared to dying in the inferno.

Carefully tipping Fado out the window, Saria watched the girl fall limply into the arms of the many children below.

Waiting a moment, Saria climbed through the window and followed Fado's descent.

Many hands caught hold of her before she hit the ground. They set her down on the grass and Saria was immediately racked by an onslaught of coughing. She felt as if her lungs themselves were trying to climb up her throat. Her eyes felt puffy and painful.

Finally after what seemed like hours, the coughing stopped and Saria stood up exhaustedly. There was still a fire to be put out.

But even as Saria watched, the kokiri were filling the buckets with water from the nearby pond and using it to douse the flames.

Maybe, Saria thought wearily, the kokiri could manage without her for this part.

Not completely convinced, but too exhausted to resist, Saria fell asleep after an exhausting day of less than an hour's worth of work.


	3. Red Eyes

When Saria awoke little more than an hour later, the first thing she did was launch into another fit of painful coughing. Blackened spittle coated the palm of her hand by the time the fit subsided. With a look of sullen distaste on her face, Saria wiped her soiled hand off on her tunic.

Looking at her surroundings for the first time, Saria felt proud of the Kokiri for having extinguished the fire on their own. Then she felt pity for Fado, whose home lay in a smoldering ruin. From where she stood, Saria couldn't see anything that would be worth salvaging.

After a brief search, Saria found Fado sitting on a rock near the ruins. Her clothes were torn and scorched, her face turned ashen by soot and smoke. Saria must have looked pretty much the same way.

But Saria's home hadn't just been demolished.

Fado was sitting with her knees pulled close to her chest, staring blankly at what had been her hut.

Saria sat down on a nearby rock and asked the girl "How are you doin?" in the nicest most comforting voice possible.

There was no response, at least not a verbal one. A second or two after Saria's question had faded from the air, Fado buried her face in her hands and started to cry.

Saria moved closer and put an arm around the girl, trying to comfort her. "It's okay Fado." Saria said softly, "You're not hurt, and that's what's important. We can get you a new hut. Until then you can stay with me."

Fado looked at her and asked meekly, 'Do you mean it?"

"Of course, now come on. Let's go get a bed ready for you." Saria took the other girls hand and they walked to Saria's hut.

* * *

Saria surmised that Fado hadn't slept after the incident as she herself had. Once the bed was made, she curled up under the blankets and dozed off immediately.

Once Fado had fallen asleep, Saria left the hut to see if there was anything around the village that she could help out with. However, the first person Saria saw was actually the last person she wanted to see.

Mido

He was standing directly in front of the smoking ruble that had been Fado's house. His behavior was similar to Fado's. Just standing there, unmoving, silent, just staring at what had once been a Kokiri hut.

But when Saria looked at his face, and into his eyes, she saw guilt.

Suddenly furious, Saria stormed over to where the boy was standing. Mido jumped and started to quiver with fear when he saw Saria standing next to him.

"What did you do?" Saria demanded.

"I, I, she, Fado, she, um, was cold, and, um, she asked me to!" Mido babbled incoherently.

"Slow down Mido. Take a deep breath, then tell me what happened."

The boy inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly. "I, um," Mido began, "Fado said she was, she was cold. And she asked me to light her f-fireplace for her, because you were still asleep."

He stopped to take another lung full.

"But a s-spark jumped out and c-caught one of her curtains on fire. And when I s-saw that I ran outside. But Fado wasn't w-with me. Then you sh-showed up-p and…"

Suddenly Mido let loose the tears he had been struggling to hold back.

"I, I tried t-t-to go b-back for h-h-her but…"

His speech deteriorated until it was nothing but incoherent sobs.

Saria put an arm around the boy's shoulder and said, "It's okay, just go back to your hut and get some rest." She guided him over to his hut and opened the door for him. Mido went inside and Saria shut the door behind him.

* * *

She passed a few hours helping around the village. What was left of Fado's house needed to be cleared, and a substitute would need to be built. There were also more mundane tasks that needed assistance, like getting things down from high shelves. Or helping somebody find their favorite toy.

Saria was helping a girl named Tara pull the weeds in her garden when the sun started to go down. In her single mindedness, Saria failed to notice the sunset until twilight had caught hold of the land. Only when she paused to wipe the sweat from her brow did she see the bronze orb sinking below the horizon.

Panic shot through her as she realized her error.

Quickly dropping the task at hand, Saria shouted to the Kokiri scattered throughout the village. "The sun! Hurry, everyone get inside! The sun is going down."

Around the village, the children began to scramble for the safety of their homes. Because once the sun was down, the monsters of the deep forest would roam.

Saria started to head for her hut, but Tara beckoned her to remain in her hut. "Your hut is all the way on the other side of the village," She said, "And I don't think it'll be very long until they get here. Just stay in my house tonight."

Saria agreed worriedly, she had left the door to her house open that morning and hadn't returned there since. Luckily the monsters never seemed to be interested in the Kokiri's belongings, just the children themselves.

Saria glanced over her shoulder to make sure the Kokiri were all inside, before ducking inside herself.

Once the door was shut securely, Tara offered Saria some food, which she accepted. They sat down to a small dinner of nuts, berries, and various vegetables. Most of them were from her garden, but Tara admitted to scavenging some of the food from the forest.

While ordinarily Saria would have chastised the girl for entering the dangerous forest, she hadn't eaten anything all day and the food was delicious.

Once they had eaten and crawled into bed, Saria began to reminisce about the events of the day. She thought about how it had seemed so promising the moment she awoke. But after only seconds, tragedy had struck, drawing her out of the safety of her own home and into the intense danger of Fado's.

From the tragedy that had befallen Fado's home, Saria's thoughts moved to the girl. She thought about how upset she was and how Saria had wanted to do all she could to help the girl. Even letting Fado stay in Saria's hut until she could get a new home.

Saria's heart stopped.

Fado was in Saria's house, and the door was unlocked.

Saria jumped out of the bed, stumbling around in the darkness for a moment before she got her bearings. As she headed for the door, Saria heard Tara call out from behind her, "Saria! Where are you going?"

"Fado's at my house," Saria gasped, "And I left the door unlocked."

Saria tore the door open and stepped into the frigid night air. She could hear rustling and deep panting in the night around her. Only then did she realize just how defenseless she was.

Quickly searching the ground near her feet, Saria found a shovel that Tara had left lying near the garden. Taking it up in her hands, Saria noticed with satisfaction that the tool was heavier than it looked.

Holding the shovel in a ready position, Saria ran through the grass field. She could see dusky eyes burning red in the gloom. Far off, but still too close for comfort, something howled.

Saria was running so fast that she nearly ran headlong into a Stalfos. She stopped about a foot away from the monstrous creature and stared up at it for a moment. The hypnosis was ceased when the skeleton began to reach down toward her with a bony hand.

Saria swung the shovel and felt the tool reverberate as it struck the bony knuckles. She heard a snap and the hand hung limp. Taking her chance, Saria ducked around the monster and continued toward her hut.

She was able to reach the abode without any further run-ins, although she did see a Wolfos in the distance once. Finally reaching the hut, Saria noticed worriedly that the front door was wide open and hanging slightly off the hinges.

Unconcerned about her own safety, Saria ran full speed through the door, brandishing the shovel in front of her. The whole hut was dark and Saria could only see silhouettes. A table, a bed, a chair, and something that was moving.

Saria stepped toward the thing and held the shovel out toward it. "Fado?" Saria whispered, "Is that you?" The shape moved, and Saria heard a rustling noise. Cautiously, Saria took a step toward the silhouette and said, "Fado?"

The question hung in the air for a moment, then the thing turned around. A pair of bright red orbs burned at about seven feet in the air. Saria felt for sure that she was going to die. There was nowhere to run and even if she did try to run, it would surely catch her. Her last escape had been a fluke, but she couldn't tempt chance and win twice.

Something hit Saria in the chest, hard, throwing her to the ground and knocking the shovel from her grip. Now she would die, Saria was sure of it. Without a doubt this would be the end.

But it wasn't.

Saria opened her eyes and saw one image which burned into her brain and stayed there.

A single Stalfos standing in her doorway. The moon was full behind it, casting its shadow over her. It was hunched over to fit through the tiny doorway. Burning eyes locked on her. But one detail stood out among the rest.

A young girl was clutched in the monsters hand. She was unconscious and covered in soot.

Her name was Fado.

Then the pair of them disappeared from the doorway and were lost in the night.

* * *

Here's this week's installment. Saria is getting into some more serious situations than she is used to. Let's see how she deals with the abduction, while still trying to hold the village together and keeping the Kokiri children safe.

Thanks for reading, please review


	4. Blue Hope

Saria's feet pounded rapidly against the soft dirt of the forest floor. In one hand she gripped a shovel, while the other was free. Her breath was coming in ragged gasps as she chased after the monstrous creatures.

Stalfos

She knew that she posed no threat to them. Zero, none at all. But she had to try.

Just a little girl with a shovel against all those Stalfos. Saria wasn't even sure what she would do when she caught up, if she caught up.

At this rate it seemed like she never would.

The Stalfos were running at a much faster rate than her, covering gigantic distances with each step. Yet Saria sprinted after them, determined not to abandon Fado to their mercy.

But as much as she struggled, Saria found that it was useless. There was nothing she could do to catch the monsters. They were outrunning her and it seemed unavoidable now that she would fall behind and lose sight of them.

And with that seed of discouragement, Saria felt her knees start to grow weak. Her limbs grew heavy and her lungs began to burn. The air seemed thick and her sight grew blurry.

Despite her dedication to protecting Fado, Saria's own body forced her to abandon the girl. She wasn't perfect, and she couldn't run forever, and Saria hated that fact. Hated the fact that Fado was all alone and Saria couldn't help her.

Hated the fact that despite all her efforts, she had failed the Kokiri.

Saria stopped and doubled over, gasping for breath with her hands on her knees.

Her heart was pounding in her ears, drowning out the whole world and isolating her. Saria held that stance for what seemed like forever, just staring at her knees while her mind itched to keep running after them.

But even if she caught them, what would she do? The shovel wasn't anything that should be taken into battle. And even if she had been well equipped, Saria was no warrior.

How was she going to take on several Stalfos with just a shovel?

Saria stood straight, staring in the direction she had last seen the Stalfos heading.

With an inadequate weapon, inadequate preparation, and inadequate experience, how could Saria even make a difference? If she kept going after Fado, the only thing she accomplished would be getting herself killed.

What could she do?

She couldn't leave Fado to the Stalfos, she was supposed to protect the Kokiri. But if she went after Fado, the Kokiri might be left alone.

There was a loud snap behind her and Saria's decision was postponed when she turned and saw a monolithic Stalfos standing behind her.

Saria took a step backwards in shock, her hand tightly latched around the shovel's handle.

It reached down toward her with long skeletal fingers. Saria felt mesmerized by the thing's burning gaze.

But suddenly she broke out of it and swept the shovel across the Stalfos's knuckles as hard as she could. The impact caused her to lose her balance and she took another step backward to catch herself.

Looking at the shovel in her grip, Saria saw that the metal blade she had been using as a weapon was horribly bent and disfigured. It was never meant to be a weapon, and it didn't stand up to the call of duty.

Saria looked back at the Stalfos and more specifically at its hand. There was hardly any damage. A crack had appeared in one of the finger bones, nothing more.

Saria backed away from the creature, searching fervently for something else she could use as a weapon. The only things in sight were twigs and sticks too small to be of any use.

She heard a loud thud and the ground shook for a moment. Saria looked back toward the Stalfos and saw that it had pulled out a large studded club.

So this was how it would end. Trying to fight against a well-armed Stalfos with nothing but a broken shovel. Why had she even come into the forest in the first place? There was nothing she could've done even if she had caught up with the other Stalfos.

She watched the monster raise the club and prepare to swing it like a bat at her. Saria held the shovel out in front of her with a hand on each end, hoping that the inch-thick wooden shaft would take the impact and protect her.

It didn't.

Saria saw the club coming and closed her eyes, waiting for something horrible to happen. She heard the sound of splintering wood and then Saria felt herself land in some bushes.

Her lungs felt empty and Saria found herself struggling for breath. She lay there gasping and listening to the approaching sound of the Stalfos's feet.

Saria tried to push herself out of the bush but couldn't find anything solid. She felt a jolt of terror as the feet stopped just in front of her. Saria saw the shadow of the club being raised for a second time.

Saria grabbed onto something solid inside the bush and was able to drag herself out of the club's path.

Falling out of the bushes, Saria felt the solid thing fall with her, stuck in her clenched fist.

Saria looked down to see what it was, and was surprised to find a gleaming sword in her hand. Embedded near the base of the blade was a green stone.

Feeling her breath come back to her suddenly, Saria realized that she might have a fighting chance now.

Closing both hands around the handle, Saria advanced on the Stalfos whose club was now tangled In the bush.

She raised the sword over her head and brought it down sharply on the creature's neck, severing the spine and causing the skull to drop into the bushes.

Everything was still and for a moment Saria thought it might turn around and continue its attack, but suddenly the bones fell apart and disintegrated on the ground.

Wiping sweat off of her brow, Sara searched the bush with one of her hands and found a sheathe that matched the sword. As she pulled it from the foliage, a bit of yellowed parchment fell out of and onto the ground.

Saria picked it up and was able to read the few words written on it before a strange gust of wind tore the paper out of her grip and carried it off into the forest.

The Kokiri Sword, it is an aid to any of the children who should direly need it.

"Didn't Link take this before?" Saria wondered to herself, "I hope he's alright."

Saria buckled the sheathe over her shoulder and headed after the Stalfos, feeling more hopeful about the chances of Fado's rescue.


	5. The Old Man

Saria crept through the forest holding her hand tightly on the sword's handle.

As tightly as she gripped it, though, her hand still found a way to tremble.

The light was dim and the air was heavy. It wouldn't be more than a few hours before it was dark. Then the Stalfos would come, only this time she was in their territory, barely armed and not trained at all.

But Saria continued through the forest, searching for the place they had taken Fado.

She was sure it was close. Up ahead she could hear strange noises and she'd caught a few glimpses of bleached bone, or blazing eyes.

She just had to get a little closer to be sure.

So Saria dropped to her hands and knees and crawled into the bushes. She was careful to move as slowly as she could, making minimal noise.

After a few dozen seconds of crawling sluggishly, Saria was able to stick her head far enough through the foliage to get a clear look at what lay on the other side.

The image nearly made her choke with shock.

Dozens upon dozens of Stalfos were there, all of them armed. They were just standing still, doing nothing at all. Just standing in straight lines. It was eerie.

Then Saria looked above them and saw a small wooden cage hanging from a tree. Inside of it, was Fado.

Saria knew she couldn't take on that many Stalfos. She'd barely been able to fight and win against one. So she had to come up with a plan…

* * *

The sun was going down. Darkness was cast over the forest.

Saria was still in the bush, trying her best to stay completely still.

All around her, the Stalfos were marching toward the village.

_I hope the Kokiri will be okay. I hope they stay inside._

Saria waited until the last skeleton had left, then she made her move. Climbing out of the bush, Saria darted over toward the tree.

From the ground Saria couldn't see Fado, and she couldn't reach that far up to free her, so Saria had to climb the tree.

Luckily for her, being a child of the forest had left her perfectly equipped for climbing trees. In less than a minute, Saria had climbed the forty foot trunk until she was hanging beside Fado.

The girl didn't see her at first. Fado was paralyzed with fear, her hands clasped around the cage bars so tightly that the knuckles were white.

"Hey, Fado." Saria whispered, trying to get her attention.

The girl didn't respond.

"Fado, it's me, Saria."

Suddenly the Fado whipped around to face her. The girl's face was dirty and smudged from tears. Her eyes were red.

"Saria!" She exclaimed, "You came to save me! You're gonna get me…"

Saria cut her off, "Shhh, You've gotta be quiet. The Stalfos aren't that far away. They might come back any second. Hurry, cut yourself out with this."

Saria gripped the tree with her knees as she unsheathed the sword and handed it to Fado.

She stared at it wide eye for a moment. "Is this the, the, the Kokiri, sword?"

"Yeah," Saria murmured impatiently, "Now hurry up."

Fado obeyed and quickly began cutting the cage open. Once there was a gap large enough to admit her, Fado handed the sword back to Saria and climbed onto the tree.

The two of them descended, and once they reached the bottom, Fado wrapped Saria in a grateful hug.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou" she sobbed.

Suddenly Saria head a noise from behind them. Turning her head slightly, she saw a trio of Stalfos entering the clearing.

"Fado," Saria whispered, her voice shaking slightly, "Run. Get back to the village. Don't look behind you, just run."

The girl looked up at Saria and said, "Why?"

"Just go!" Saria said, and shoved the girl away, turning around to face the monsters. She felt satisfied as she heard Fado crash into the forest behind her.

Now it was just Saria and the Stalfos.

That still wasn't a good thing. She'd barely survived an encounter with once Stalfos. There was no way she could take on three at once.

No, this wasn't the time to fight. If she was smart she would join Fado.

_But then I would lead them right too her, they can run way faster than us they'd catch up pretty soon._

No. That was what she wanted to do, but Saria couldn't join Fado. She had to lead them away from the girl, somehow.

Moving slowly, Saria raised the sword.

Moving slowly, Saria slid the sword into its sheathe.

Moving quickly, Saria sprinted out of the clearing.

In different direction than Fado, in a different direction than she'd ever been. After running for a few seconds, Saria realize she would be lucky to ever find her way home.

Around her, the forest became strange. There were decaying trunks from ancient trees, and the undergrowth was filled with burrs and thorns.

But Saria kept running, because she could hear the Stalfos behind her. She could hear them catching up.

Saria ran and ran, taking twists and turns around massive obstacles. Then suddenly she found herself in a dead end.

The Stalfos were about a dozen yards away, no longer running. They knew they no longer needed to. She was caught, it was over.

But Saria caught sight of a nearby tree, and in one last ditch effort, she scrambled up the trunk as fast as she could.

It was a short tree, she realized with dread. It was no taller than any of the Stalfos.

But it offered a different way out than she had originally thought. From her place in the tree, Saria could jump over the obstacle and climb past the dead end.

Taking the chance, Saria leap and took hold of the ledge. When she climbed up, however, she was surprised to find a tall archway.

She hesitated a moment before entering, but the sound of massive skeletal footsteps just a few feet behind her was enough to spur her into heading through the arch.

Once inside, Saria found that she was inside a large room. Larger than any room she'd seen before. The ceiling was far above, dozens of yards away from the floor.

Saria wandered forward in wonderment, but was stopped by the sudden sound of growling.

Returning to herself, Saria saw a pair of Wolfos standing before her. Each was brandishing razor sharp claws, pointed teeth, and the intent to devour Saria.

Saria panicked and reached for the sword, intending to at least attempt to fight them off. But before she could draw the sword, a hand rested on her shoulder and she jumped.

She turned her head slowly, and saw something she'd never seen before.

An old man, in orange robes.

"Come with me," He said softly, "You have another purpose."

Before Saria could speak, the world around her dissolved. It disappeared, fading away until nothing was left but a blank world.

* * *

Saria realized she was alone.

"You will wait for him." The voice said, though Saria couldn't figure out where it came from. "He will come, and you will help him."

"Who?" She asked out loud.

_I'm talking to thin air. Am I insane?_

"The Hero of Time. You would know him as Link."

"What? Link is coming?"

"Yes, and no, you're not insane. Be patient. He will be here sooner than you think."

So Saria waited.

* * *

Sorry about the long wait and the abrupt ending, but I wasn't sure what to do with this fic. I started out with too much ambition and too little plot.

I realize now it would've been better as a oneshot, but I guess its too late for that.


End file.
